Shipboard cargo transferring apparatus having an electrical cable supporting means



April 6. 1966 M. DECHANTSREITER 3,

SHIPBOARD CARGO TRANSFERRING APPARATUS HAVING AN ELECTRICAL CABLESUPPORTING MEANS Original Filed July 11, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.MAX DECHANTSREITER BY April 1966 M. DECHANTSREITER 3,248,487

SHIPBOARD CARGO TRANSFERRING APPARATUS HAVING AN ELECTRICAL CABLESUPPORTING MEANS Original Filed July 11, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ff/ azed,

INVENTOR. MAX DECHANTSREITER United States Patent 3,248,487 SHIPBOARDCARGO TRANSFERRING APPARA- TUS HAVING AN ELECTRICAL CABLE SUP- PORTINGMEANS Max Dechantsreiter, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to HarnischfegerCorporation Original application July 11, 1963, Ser. No. 294,329, nowPatent No. 3,190,456, dated June 22, 1965. Divided and this applicationDec. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 421,412 3 Claims. (Cl. 191-12) This inventionrelates generally to shipboard cargo transferring apparatus and moreparticularly to such an apparatus of a travelling U-tyrpe gantryconstruction which is capable of fore and aft translational movementrelative to the vessel and which is provided with a rotatable trolleydesigned for athwartship port and starboard translational movement so asto load and unload containers at any desired point of the vessel and oneither side thereof.

This is a divisional application of our co-pending U.S. Serial No.294,329 filed July 11, 1963, entitled Shipboard Cargo TransferringAlpparatus which issued on June 22, 1965, as Patent Number 3,190,456.

An object of the present invention is to provide a shipboard cargotransferring apparatus of the above type having a power loop cablecarrying system which m-ain tains the electrical cables interconnectingthe movable trolley and the relatively stationary gantry crane in atensionless, non-wearing disposition.

Other objects, advantages and features of the subject invention willhereinafter appear, and, for purposes of illustration, but not oflimitation, an exemplary embodiment of the subject invention is shown inthe appended drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a transverse elevational View from aft to fore of a deck ofa vessel equipped with a shipboard cargo transferring apparatusconstructed in accordance withthe subject invention;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic diagram of a power loop arrangement for handlingthe electrical cables leading to the trolley; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary schematic view of a cable carrieremployed in the power loop system.

General arrangement With reference to the drawings, the numeral 1generally designates a shipboard cargo container transferring apparatusproduced in accordance with the subject invention. The apparatus 1comprises a travelling U-type gantry crane 2 which is mounted on thedeck 4 of a ship for movement relative thereto. The gantry crane 2 isadapted forfore and aft translational movement relative to the deck 4and a trolley assembly 6 is mounted on the crane 2 for athwartship portto starboard translational movement relative to the deck 4 and forrotational movement to face either the port or starboard sides.

Translatable lower trolley frame The trolley assembly 6 comprises alower trolley frame which is adapted for athwartship port to starboardtranslational movement and an upper revolvable trolley frame 22 forrotational movement relative to the lower trolley frame 20, ashereinafter described. The opposite ends of the lower trolley frame 20are provided with suitably journalled pairs of rim-wheels 24, 26, 28.

Power loop system ment, these means, which are illustrated in FIGURES 2and 3, comprise a junction box 103 which is affixed to the gantry crane2 and a junction box 105 which is affixed to the lower frame 20 of thetrolley assembly 6. A ladderlike cable carrier assembly 107 is affixedto the junction boxes 103 and 105 and is trained about a loop drum 109.The assembly 107 comprises two parallelly aligned cables i111 and 113with a series of interconnecting cable carriers 11-5.

As best seen in FIGURE 3, the cable carriers 115 each comprise a lowercable support member 117 and an upper cable support member 119 which areinterclamped, as by a bolt assembly 121. The members 117 and 119 arealso secured to the cables 1-11, 113, as indicated at 99 in FIGURE 3. Inthis manner, flexible electrical cables, such as the cables 123-125schematically illustrated in FIGURE 3, may be sandwiched between themembers 117, 119 for appropriate connection to the respective junctionboxes 103 and 105.

A bail 1-26 is connected to the loop drum 109, and a bridle sheave 127is affixed to the bail 126. Dead-end sheaves 129, 130, and 1311 are eachafiixed to the gantry crane 2. A tension cable 133 is afiixed at one endto an.

extension 135 of the trolley assembly 6 and is trained about thesuccessive sheaves 131, 130, 129, and 1 27, and is dead-ended on thegantry crane 2, as indicated at 13 7.

'In this manner, translational movement of the trolley assembly 6relative to the gantry crane 2 will provide for self-adjustingtensioning of the carrier assembly 107 since the tension on the cable133 (and therefore the tension on the sheave 127) is a function of therelative positioning of the trolley assembly 6 and the gantry crane 2.It should be noted that virtually no tension is placed on the supportedcables 123425 themselves, since all the tensile load is carried by thecables 111, 113. Also, wear and abrasion of the cables 123-125 isminimized in the supported state since no slippage of the cablesrelative to the carriers 115 is evidenced, notwithstand the tensionedrepositioning of the assembly 107 as the trolley assembly 6 movesrelative to the gantry crane 2.

As the trolley assembly 6 is thus moved in the port or starboarddirections, the power loop system provided by the present invention andillustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3 maintains electrical connection betweenthe junction box 105 of the trolley assembly 6 and the junction box 103of the gantry crane 2 without imposing tension upon the connectingelectrical cables themselves and without affording any opportunity forslippage of the electrical cables relative to a wear surface.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as beingwithin the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out anddistinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as theinvention.

I claim:

1. A power loop system for feeding flexible cables between a stationaryand a movable member comprising:

a junction box on the stationary member;

a junction box on the movable member;

a cable carrier assembly interconnecting the said junction boxes-andcomprising two parallelly aligned tension cablesand a series of cablecarriers extending transversely therebetween;

flexible electrical cables interconnecting the respective junction boxesand loosely supported by the said cable carriers;

a loop drum, the said cable carrier assembly being trained about theloop drum;

a bridle sheave;

means connecting the loop drum and the bridle sheave;

sheave means dead-ended on the stationary member;

and

a tension cable which is dead-ended at one end at the movable member andat its opposite end at the stationary member and which is trained aboutthe sheave means of the stationary member and about the bridle sheaveattached to the loop drum;

whereby self-adjusting non-tens-ioned feed of the carried electricalcables may be achieved.

-2. Shipboard cargo transferring apparatus comprising, a gantry craneand a trolley movable in respect thereto, a :power loop system forfeeding flexible cables between said crane and movable trolleycomprising:

-a junction box on the crane member;

a junction box on the trolley member;

a cable carrier assembly interconnecting the said junction boxes andcomprising two parallelly aligned tension cables and a series of cablecarriers extending transversely therebetween;

flexible electrical cables interconnecting the respective junction boxesand loosely supported by the said cable carriers;

a loop drum, the said cable carrier assembly being trained about theloop drum;

a bridle sheave;

means connecting the loop drum and the bridle sheave;

sheave means dead-ended on the crane member; and

a tension cable which is dead-ended at one end at the trolley member andat its opposite end at the crane member and which is trained about thesheave means of the crane member and about the bridle sheave attached tothe loop drum;

whereby self-adjusting non-tensioned feed of the carried electricalcables may be achieved.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 including means for clamping saidcable carriers to said tension cables to hold said tension cables inproperly spaced apart relationship whereby said carriers support saidelectrical cables for travel with said tension cables and with norelative slippage between said electrical cables and said carriers.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,975,807 3/196'1Waninger 19112 X I FOREIGN PATENTS 309,871 12/ 1918 Germany. 874,209 4/195 3 Germany. 1,082,644 6/ 1960 Germany.

698,616 10/ 1953 Great Britain.

EUGENE G. BOTZ, Primary Examiner.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Examiner.

S. Ti KRAWCZEWICZ, Assistant Examiner.

1. A POWER LOOP SYSTEM FOR FEEDING FLEXIBLE CABLES BETWEEN A STATIONARYAND A REMOVABLE MEMBER COMPRISING; A JUNCTION BOX ON THE STATIONARYMEMBER; A JUNCTION BOX ON THE MOVABLE MEMBER; A CABLE CARRIER ASSEMBLYINTERCONNECTING THE SAID JUNCTION BOXES AND COMPRISING TWO PARALLELALIGNED TENSION CABLES AND A SERIES OF CABLE CARRIERS EXTENDINGTRANSVERSELY THEREBETWEEN; FLEXIBLE ELECTRICAL CABLES INTERCONNECTINGTHE RESPECTIVE JUNCTION BOXES AND LOOSELY SUPPORTED BY THE SAID CABLECARRIERS; A LOOP DRUM, THE SAID CABLE CARRIER ASSEMBLY BEING TRAINEDABOUT THE LOOP DRUM; A BRIDLE SHEAVE; MEANS CONNECTING THE LOOP DRUM ANDTHE BRIDLE SHEAVE; SHEAVE MEANS DEAD-ENDED ON THE STATIONARY MEMBER; ANDA TENSION CABLE WHICH IS DEAD-ENDED AT ONE END AT THE MOVABLE MEMBER ANDAT ITS OPPOSITE END AT THE STATIONARY MEMBER AND WHICH IS TRAINED ABOUTTHE SHEAVE MEANS FOR THE STATIONARY MEMBER AND ABOUT THE BRIDLE SHEAVEATTACHED TO THE LOOP DRUM; WHEREBY SELF-ADJUSTING NON-TENSIONED FEED OFTHE CARRIED ELECTRICAL CABLES MAY BE ACHIEVED.